title: Demise of the flies: why Drosophila models still matter.
abstract: Over the past decade, Drosophila melanogaster has emerged as a widely used model for human disease via targeted misexpression of human disease-associated proteins. The chief advantage of creating such models is that once a suitable phenotype has been obtained, the genetic toolkit of fly genetics can be used to dissect underlying disease pathways. Although some critics of this approach have argued that it has not generated many novel insights, we would argue that fly models of human neurodegenerative disorders have provided valuable information when viewed within the context of other models and systems of analysis. Here, we will provide a brief overview of some Drosophila models of neurodegenerative disorders with a special focus on our own work.
authors.affiliation: Mitchell Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Department of Neurology, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Mathieu F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Bakhoum
authors.forename: George R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Jackson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004331:Drosophila melanogaster / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000473:pathology